Responses to Reviews:
Hafty: I've already written drafts past Cerulean Gym, so this unfortunately won't be the case. However, I realize that training sessions should be more prevalent in the story. I'll be sure to include more scenes of Ash training!
Speed Reader: Thank you so much! It's definitely a concern of mine to build up more of these character's personalities, as well as their history so they don't appear so bland.
REVIEW as it motivates me to update quicker!
Ch. 10: Ritchie and Sparky
"Alright, it's already been an hour since we got out. You said we'd wait just another thirty minutes before going to get help." Leaf stated, her words directed to the man standing beside her.
The duo had exited Mt. Moon hours ago, about an hour after the sun had set. It was now pitch black and had to be sometime in the middle of the night. They stood in front of the main exit, already accustomed to the sight of the towering natural landmark.
Initially, the two contemplated finding help by traveling to a nearby town. However, Brock wasn't aware of any personally, and their map wasn't helpful in revealing lesser known locations besides the main cities and landmarks of the Kanto region.
Eventually, the two agreed that if time stretched on for too long, they would travel North of the exit and steer off Route Four slightly. This way, they would have a better chance of stumbling upon a town or someone that could help them.
"Ok, let's get going. I'm sure he's alright." Brock reassured Leaf, who still started at Mt. Moon with worried eyes. "Ash has his Pokemon and all the supplies necessary to be just fine. I bet he even has enough to last a week." Brock chuckled, not letting the feeling of dread overcome him.
It was easy to overreact, but it was crucial to acknowledge that it wasn't a horrible situation. Experiencing the responsibilities that came with caring for a massive family at such a young age aided him in dealing with stressful situations such as the one they found themselves in. Plenty of trainers were stranded in caves every year. Ash was more than capable enough to deal with the issue by his lonesome.
Leaf finally turned around, finally walking alongside Brock. The two only made it a couple of steps before they flinched at the loud shout behind them.
"WOOOOOOAHHHHHH!" Ash's familiar voice cracked out. When the two turned around, they immediately located Ash sliding down the mountainside while gripping an unfamiliar yellow Pokemon in his arms.
"What the…" Leaf stated, lifting an eyebrow at the sight of her friend sliding down the mountain safely. It was only about ten feet where he came from, as there was a visible human sized hole in the wall of Mt. Moon.
"Dang, that hurt." Ash rubbed his butt, before allowing Pikachu to escape his grasp. Unsurprisingly, Pikachu left rather quickly as he was finally free from the cave. Brock and Leaf quickly approached Ash, relieved at his good condition.
"You're lucky, Ash. We were just about to leave to find some help." Brock remarked, patting Ash on the shoulder. Ash smiled, glad to see the two once again. It wasn't much fun being lost in a dark, hot cave for over ten hours.
"Are you okay?" Leaf asked concernedly, grabbing and moving his arms and shirt to scan for injuries. Ash simply nodded happily, allowing her to check since it would help relieve her. After a moment, she finally took a step back. "How did you get out? Because that hole was definitely not there in the first place." Leaf asked the boy.
"Well, the air started getting a lot cooler and much more bearable, so we knew we were getting close to the exit. Eventually, we came across a damp section of the cave wall that looked like it could give away with the right force. It was actually Pikachu who-" Ash stopped, looking around to see if the Electric type was still there so he could thank him.
"Charmander and I stumbled upon Pikachu, who was just as lost as us in there. After he became comfortable with us, Pikachu decided to come along. It was him who had wanted to break the wall, since it was already pretty unstable." Ash continued, making Brock sweat drop at the idea.
"Um, that sounds pretty dangerous, Ash. That's a pretty good way to have the roof of the cave collapse." Brock remarked, rubbing his chin. Leaf's eyes narrowed towards Ash, who sweat dropped at the attention.
"Pshhh. It's not THAT dangerous." Ash shrugged, quickly walking away and towards Route 4 to escape the attention. Before he could get far, Ash stopped as he felt a judge against his leg.
Pikachu had appeared once again, staring up at the much taller human.
"Awww, he's back!" Leaf crouched down, admiring how cute Pikachu was.
"Wow, this Pikachu looks like he's in great condition." Brock analyzed the wild Pokemon while pacing around him. Ash raised an eyebrow, still completely lost as to how Brock was able to decipher a Pokemon's condition simply based on slight differences in appearance. Brock was more than reliable, though, so Ash mostly took his word for situations like this.
"Hey, Pikachu! I thought you left." Ash said, scratching Pikachu behind the ears. Pikachu shook his head briefly, visibly preoccupied with leaning his head into the boy's palm. Leaf joined in as well, with Pikachu allowing both trainers to obsess over the Electric type. Brock remained to the side, somehow now having a clipboard to take notes in as he continued to analyze Pikachu.
"Do you want anything else? More food maybe?" Ash asked, offering help to the wild Pokemon. It was the least he could do, considering it was Pikachu who finally found their way out. It was extremely lucky to also be met face to face with his friends upon their exit.
Pikachu shook his head again, making Ash's smile waver slightly.
"Huh? Well, if you don't want food…" Ash trailed off, contemplating what Pikachu wanted since he returned. Ash didn't have to think long, since Pikachu brought him out of his thoughts as he jumped in the air. Before Ash could move away in surprise, Pikachu's tail struck his belt attached to the boy's waist.
The group watched in shock as a Pokeball opened up, its red light drawing in Pikachu. The pokeball stayed attached to Ash's belt, clicking immediately to signify the capture.
"Well, that just happened-"
"Yeah! I caught a Pikachu!" Ash interrupted Leaf, pumping his fist into the air. Brock laughed, congratulating Ash while Leaf begged Ash to release Pikachu to continue giving him her attention.
Ash complied, allowing Pikachu to formally meet the other two. As this was occurring, Leaf almost forgot her own capture.
"Oh! Ash, I forgot to show you. I caught my own Pokemon while Brock and I were inside Mt. Moon." Leaf said, capturing Ash's attention. "Come on out, Sandshrew!"
Sandshrew landed on the ground, flexing its claws out confidently.
"Cool, you caught a Sandshrew!" Ash complimented the brunette, making her puff her chest out proudly. Ash introduced himself to Sandshrew for a moment, before letting Pikachu and Sandshrew interact. The two got along right off the bat, chasing each other in circles. Sandshrew occasionally cheated, burrowing a hole at an impressive speed and losing Pikachu.
"Now that I have my third Pokemon, I can't wait to kick Team Rocket's ass!" Ash stated cockily, looking down as the trio climbed downhill while traveling through Route Four. After exiting Mt. Moon, the group set up their respective tents and camp for the night, before waking up earlier than usual. It was necessary, considering they had lost a day or two from the delay in Mt. Moon.
So far, Route Four proved to not be as rigorous as traveling up the mountains. Since it was located on the other side of Mt. Moon, they were lucky to have a smooth decline back to a relatively normal altitude in Kanto. The ground was also no longer tough, but an environment consisting of soft green grass and an abundance of trees, a far cry from the lack of plants from Mt. Moon. They were still relatively high up along Route four, so the outskirts of the mid-sized Cerulean City were visible.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Leaf grinned widely, making Brock side eye the girl suspiciously. Ash seemed oblivious to her exorbitant shift in mood.
"You're welcome!" Ash replied just as happily. "OUCH! WHAT THE-" Ash shouted, holding the back of his head after Leaf slapped the back of it playfully, perhaps a big too rough. Brock sighed, who unlike Ash, had seen it coming from a mile away. Ash glared at the brunette, who didn't seem fazed by his actions as her brown eyes met his own.
"Unlike you, I don't have the urge to risk our lives to stop a notorious criminal organization. We're not law enforcement, much less strong enough trainers to do so."
"Are you kidding? We destroyed them at Pewter Museum!" Leaf held her mouth agape, staring at Ash incredulously.
"We got lucky! If it wasn't for me getting in there when I did, you were going to have your face ripped off by that Weezing." Ash rolled his eyes, ignoring the hard truth in her statement.
"I totally had it under control. In fact, he was walking right into my trap."
"Trap." Brock repeated dumbfoundedly.
"Yep… Trap." Ash replied.
The only sound that hung in the air was the cool breeze and leaves rustling. This didn't last long, as Ash yelped once again due to Leaf screams making several Pidgeys fly away in fear.
"ASH KETCHUM. YOU ARE THE BIGGEST IMBECILE I KNOW. YOU HAVE THREE BEGINNER POKEMON AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU WANT TO TAKE ON THE WHOLE WORD!"
"Alright, alright. Calm down you two." Brock stepped in, calming down the situation as the trio continued to walk. Brock tended to be the mediator these days, which was nothing new considering his homelife. "Leaf is definitely right on this one. Though, I know you are curious about Team Rocket and their operations. How about I tell you what I know?"
This gained the attention of the shorter boy, who nodded rapidly in response. Leaf grumbled, muttering something about a death wish before Brock continued.
"Since I'm the Pewter Gym Leader, I-" Brock paused, as Ash side-eyed the older teen. Brock rolled his eyes, before restarting. "Since I WAS the Pewter Gym Leader, I received a lot of information from the League meetings I attended.
"Cool! So you were there when the League talked about Red and Team Rocket being stopped by him!" Brock narrowed his eyes at Ash's words, refusing to meet Ash's awestruck gaze.
"Ash, I'm seventeen years old. That was more than a decade ago."
"Oh, right." Ash replied, feeling dumb before glaring at Leaf as she struggled to contain her laughter.
"Anyways, it was meetings like these where all of Kanto's Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and a few Kanto League officials would address the region's biggest concerns. Even Champion Lance would attend at times." This time, it was Leaf who chipped in as Brock's last statement garnered her attention.
"You've met Lance? Does he look as powerful in person as he does on television?" Brock laughed, waiting for Ash and Leaf to finish fanboying over the Champion so he could continue.
"Lance does have a certain aura about him, so to answer your question, it seems so. Though, he was rarely in attendance because the region hasn't seen any major concerns or issues for over a decade."
"So what is addressed then for these meetings regarding Team Rocket?" Leaf asked.
"Usually, it's about confirming or denying rumors about their revival. Of course, we also look into reported sightings of Team Rocket members around the region. This is common, but it's not much of a cause for concern when it's just some grunts being caught. For the most part, these meetings are utilized to effectively contain Team Rocket's revival, which has so far proved effective."
"Does nobody really know who the leader of Team Rocket is? Officer Jenny told us that Red was the only one who had seen and defeated him." Ash asked curiously.
"Or her." Leaf supplied from the side. Brock put a finger to his chin, contemplating the question for a moment.
"Honestly, I haven't been around long enough to know. In my time as Gym Leader, the topic of Red has never been brought up, nor who the head of the snake is for Team Rocket. They've been so weak and scattered throughout Kanto that it's never been a point of discussion. It might be negligent, but none of the higher ups have brought it up since it has never been important. It's fairly clear that there is no structured command, at least, until the attack at Pewter City Museum."
"Since that attack was organized and planned prior, I had already sent a transmission to the Pokemon League and other Gym Leaders detailing the event. It's likely that it will be addressed in the next meeting. Though, Forrest will have to attend since he's the interim Gym Leader for Pewter City." Brock finished, pulling out his map to confirm they weren't steering off course.
"Wow, it must be super stressful being a Gym Leader." Leaf remarked, making Ash nod his head firmly in agreement. Brock laughed momentarily, finding some truth in her statement.
"It's definitely a lot of work, but I enjoy it. Even if the expectations are high."
Brock continued to explain the expectations of Gym Leaders, going into depth about their responsibilities outside of simply defending their respective Gym. Ash knew that they had more responsibilities, but hearing it first hand and with so much detail made the boy realize just how little he knew.
The Pewter City Gym Leader told them about his cooperation and work to improve the city, as it was typical for Gym Leaders to play a major role in doing so. This included presenting renovations and construction possibilities to city officials, as well as to request funding from the League if these were approved. If the Pokemon League considered the proposals satisfactory and beneficial, they likely funded them without a hitch.
On top of the regularly scheduled meetings regarding Team Rocket, discussing upcoming trainers annually, as well as any issue or topic needing to be addressed, it was certainly a workload.
"Again Pikachu! Double Team and then Thunderbolt." Ash shouted, standing behind Pikachu. Pikachu jumped in the air, with more than five forms of the Pokemon appearing a few feet from each other.
"CHUUUU!" Each form of the Electric type was immersed in an electric field, before sending out a compact but fairly small bolt of electricity into their target. As they were training in an open field, Ash had simply settled for an isolated tree in the field they were in.
Each Thunderbolt met its target on the tree, though it was the last one that finally impacted and carved a sizable hole near the bottom. Ash smiled widely, complimenting Pikachu for his accuracy. While Pikachu knew Thunderbolt already at such a low level, it was still fairly erratic. It was a large reason why they were working on it currently.
Pikachu's ability to use Double Team was also a tremendous advantage against other Pokemon. It gave Ash a number of strategies and routes he could utilize. While each copy of Pikachu couldn't do damage, the decoys were simply just a distraction for the real attack to land. They could also utilize the move to buy Pikachu time, if he were ever hurt severely and in desperate need of a break. The possibilities were truly endless for the move.
It was already early in the evening, so the group had decided to set up their camp for the night. Ash had left the camp two hours ago, walking just a few minutes away to get some training in with his newly acquired Pokemon. Charmander and Nidorino were also off to the side briefly, working on their conditioning before Ash had recalled them about half an hour ago.
"Your Pikachu already knows Thunderbolt? What else does he know?" Ash jumped, turning around and glaring at the brunette for sneaking up on him. Leaf whistled innocently, passing Ash and opting to give Pikachu her attention. Pikachu jumped into Leaf's arms, sighing contently as his neck was scratched gently.
'Pretty sure Pikachu likes this girl more than me…' Ash jokingly thought.
"Well, you saw the Double team so that too. He also knows Quick Attack and Nuzzle."
"Aren't you just a cute and strong Pikachu." Leaf cooed, giving Pikachu her full attention.
"I thought you were relaxing at camp?"
"I got bored. Besides, Brock told me to come get you in a bit since dinner is almost ready."
"Hell yeah!" Ash exclaimed, making Leaf roll her eyes dramatically. Before the duo could leave, they heard a loud rustling in the bushes beside them. Both became quiet, attempting to decipher what was hidden inside. The two didn't have to wait long, though, as a Pikachu exited from the bushes and sprinted towards the two with a smile.
"Woah, it's another Pikachu." Ash stated, observing the wild Pikachu stop in front of Leaf. Ash's Pikachu looked down from Leaf's arms, before jumping out and standing in front of the opposing Pokemon. The two seemed more than comfortable in each other's presence, briefly acting hesitant before clearly getting along with smiles and playfully running.
"Awww, it looks like they are already friends. But why does this Pikachu have almost a…" Leaf trailed off, unsure of what to describe it as.
"Haircut?" Ash suggested, drawing an instant agreement from the girl. It was accurate, as the wild Pikachu had a patch of hair on its head sticking out, bearing the most resemblance to a hairstyle.
"Sparky! There you are!" A boy appeared from the forest, jogging tiredly to the group. The Pikachu's appearance made much more sense now, as it was now pretty much confirmed that the Pokemon was not a wild Pikachu. The boy's Pikachu, Sparky, stopped playing with Pikachu before jogging over and jumping onto its trainer's shoulder.
"Sorry, we thought it was a wild Pokemon." Leaf apologized kindly, making the stranger raise his eyebrows at her apology.
"You're sorry? I should be apologizing. Sparky doesn't usually run off like this. We were traveling through Route Four, but I think she must have smelled your own Pikachu." The boy stated, finally having caught his breath. The boy wore an all green attire, fitting loosely on his skinny frame. A blue cap did little to maintain his long and light brown hair, which hung out on the sides and especially the back. The boy looked very approachable, with a slightly nervous but wide smile, as well as innocent blue eyes.
Leaf analyzed the boy for just a moment, seeing a slight resemblance to Ash's appearance. Ash was slightly taller with much darker hair and a more fit frame, but the two shared extremely similar facial characteristics. Not to mention the obvious fact that the two had their own Pikachu.
"I should introduce myself. My name is Ritchie, and this is my starter Pokemon Sparky. We're on our way to get our second Gym Badge!"
"Cool! My name is Ash, and this is my friend Leaf. We're also trainers! Are you heading to Cerulean City too?" Ritchie's eyes widened at Ash's words, nodding enthusiastically.
"That's right! We can't wait. Where are you two from?" Ritchie asked politely, drawing Leaf to explain their background in Pallet Town. After Leaf's brief answer, Ritchie explained his own past. Ritchie detailed his hometown in Kanto, called Frodomar City. When Ash and Leaf informed Ritchie they had never heard of it, the boy explained that it was extremely small and unknown to the average Kanto inhabitant.
Ash listened to Ritchie intently, finding many similarities in their reasons for wanting to become a trainer. Ritchie explained that he wanted to win the Indigo League at the end of the year. It didn't surprise Ash and Leaf hearing this, since this was basically the common goal for every trainer in the region. It was necessary to obtain all eight Gym Badges in the region to qualify for the Tournament. Only less than fifty percent of trainers were able to do so annually, so it was an accomplishment in itself to qualify.
Once there, trainers competed with some of the best starting trainers, as well as much more advanced trainers who have had plenty of years of experience. It was a daunting task, and a very admired achievement to win a Pokemon League. Even though trainers were able to begin their journeys at the young age of 13, the youngest Pokemon League Tournament winner ever was years older at the age of seventeen. It also makes it even more demoralizing, when knowing that that same person was Cynthia Shirona, who is currently Sinnoh's Champion at the age of twenty two. The odds of winning the Pokemon League tournament as a beginning trainer and at a young age was extremely low to say the least. Still, it didn't stop almost every starting trainer from dreaming of accomplishing competing in the League Tournaments with the goal to win it all.
However, it wasn't this goal that drew Ash's attention. Ritchie also informed the two that it was his goal to grow as close to the Pokemon he met along the way. He believed it was a major key to becoming not only a better battler, but trainer as it would help an inseparable bond. Despite having only spoken for less than thirty minutes, Ash and Leaf both saw the love Ritchie had for Pokemon as his companions.
"I should probably head back to where I set up my tent. Sorry to disturb you two." Ritchie said, letting Sparky sit on the boy's shoulder.
"Hold on, Ritchie. We have plenty of room at our camp." Ash offered.
"Totally. Our friend, Brock, is also making dinner right now. You have to at least come for that! Brock is the best cook I've ever seen." Leaf exclaimed, already daydreaming about the older teen's possible meal preparations. It was safe to say that the two had been eating good since Brock had joined their journey. Ritchie pondered for a moment, contemplating the proposal.
"Alright, I guess I can't say no to that!" Ritchie replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Just another similarity that Ash and Ritchie had in common.
"I can't get enough. You two weren't kidding. Brock, this is incredible!" Ritchie shouted almost unintelligibly, with his mouth full of pasta. Brock laughed heartily, bowing in thanks. Ash and Leaf also muttered the same, though it was basically impossible to decipher their words considering their mouths were just as full.
"So Ritchie, how was your battle at Pewter City?" Brock questioned, curious as to his brother Forrest operating as interim Gym leader.
"Your brother isn't a pushover! He definitely didn't make it easy."
"I hope so. Forrest has always had a knack for battling."
"If it wasn't for my Poliwag, I would have been done for." Ritchie responded, sighing as he leaned back and dropped the empty bowl.
"You have a Poliwag? What other Pokemon do you have?" Ash asked, with Leaf and him suddenly much more interested in the conversation.
"Well, obviously there is Sparky." Ritchie pointed to his shoulder lazily, as Sparky gave a friendly wave. "I just have one more besides Poliwag. Come on out Zippo."
A familiar starter type Pokemon emerged, slightly larger than Ash's Charmander. Richie's Charmeleon stood tall, posturing quite confidently with his eyes revealing his own disinterest at the group.
"Arceus, you two have the same Pokemon too?" Leaf questioned out loud, drawing the comparison that the two trainers were almost the same person. Even their energetic personalities were extremely similar.
"Charmander, come on out!" Ash tossed Charmander's Pokeball. The golden starter emerged, though backpedaled immediately upon being faced with the evolved and more intimidating Charmeleon.
"You have a shiny Charmander?" Ritchie asked, his mouth hanging open in awe. Ash nodded with a smile, attempting to soothe Charmander by rubbing his back as his starter stood slightly behind Ash's leg.
"But… What? How? Where did you even-"
"It's not much of a story, honestly. Professor Oak gave us both our starters, and Charmander was one of the options." Leaf replied, now crouched in front of Charmander to help soothe the Fire type as well. Charmander was visibly much more relaxed due to the physical touch, as well as Charmeleon having lost interest in staring at the smaller Pokemon.
"Yeah, sorry to disappoint. He's a little nervous with other Pokemon, though. Sorry for bringing you out so late, Charmander." Ash returned Charmander, attaching his Pokeball to his belt once again. Ritchie did the same for Zippo, returning the Pokemon.
The trio continued to chat by the fire, having finished with dinner a while ago. It was the most talkative the group had been at night, with Ritchie telling his own stories so far in his journey. Though, it wasn't as appalling as the trio's own, as they detailed Team Rocket's attack on Pewter Museum just a few days ago. Leaf also couldn't stop giggling when describing their experience in Mt. Moon, despite how scary and nerve-wracking it was at the time.
Eventually, the group had convinced Ritchie to bring his tent and belongings from his own site and relocate back to them for the night. Before each person turned it to their tent for the night, Ritchie looked to Ash with a determined expression.
"Your Pikachu looks really strong, Ash. You could decline of course, but I wanted to challenge you to a battle. Sparky vs your own Pikachu." Ash raised his eyebrow, slightly confused at the proposal. Seeing this, Ritchie spoke once again.
"Sparky is my starter Pokemon, having being gifted to me by my parents at a young age. For years now, we've wanted to be the strongest we could possibly be. With that, Sparky wants nothing more than to be known as the most powerful Pikachu in the world. I know we have a VERY long way to go." Ritchie laughed, exaggerated the last sentence before continuing. "But fighting you and Pikachu is just a step we have to take to get closer to that goal."
"I guess that makes sense." Ash shrugged with a grin, having been lost somewhat in Ritchie's speech. It was understandable, but slightly dramatic in Ash's opinion.
"Well, I accept your challenge, Ritchie. You're on!"
Author Notes: Ritchie has joined the mix! Let me know who you think will win in the battle of Pikachus!
REVIEW as it motivates me to update quicker! Take care.